Love Love Love

I'm not feeling in a coherent writing mood this lovely P-day, but writing out a gratitude list from this week does seem perfect. Ready?

This week, I've been grateful for:

1. Hysterical quintessential missionary moments. After a member made a joke at dinner I said, "Wait, who's Cameron Diaz? Are they in the ward?" I'm pretty sure that cute couple slapped their foreheads in unison. It's official. I've crossed to the dark side-16 month mark today. WOOT WOOT.

2. Elder Golden's zone conference was complete and utter perfection. I've never been in the presence of such a powerful teacher in my life. He dissected the scriptures in a way I've never seen anyone do before. After those 6 hours, my mind was complete mush. I took pages and pages of notes. My companion and I barely knew what to talk about when we got in the car afterward. One thing he said has been ringing in my ears ever since, "Elders and sisters, I bare you my witness that the Savior lives. My witness is no longer dependent on the scriptures." I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have been able to learn from him like that.

3. FINDING NEW GATORS. During a golden hour (time dedicated solely to finding) on a trade off with a sister training leader in my area, we had powerful experiences. In my wealthy area....we don't normally find lots of people to teach in an hour. But Sister Blotter and I taught three lessons on people's doorsteps in that hour. I LOVE talking to people.

4. The members of the Mandarin 1st ward. We've been asking all of our ward members this question: "How do y'all think we could help the members of our ward with their missionary work?" Inevitably, they tell us what would help them personally. While driving with our Relief Society president one night, we asked her that question, and now we know exactly what do to for a member missionary work lesson with her family and we're helping her get set up on Facebook this week. Oh happy day. I've never received so many member referrals my whole mission long. Lesson learned: Members don't need missionaries waltzing in with the newest, latest, and greatest missionary lesson/goal. Members need missionaries who sincerely want to help ease their burdens and help them share the gospel with their friends.

5. PERFECT LESSON INTERRUPTION MOMENTS. Picture this for a second. Our investigator Ben is sitting on his truck bed in his garage (yes someone in the South who uses their garage...stunning I know). Our ward mission leader (recent convert of 2 years) is standing next to me. My companion and I are sitting in chairs facing Ben out on the drive way. Sister Petramalo begins sharing the First vision scripture from Joseph Smith History and the rain picks up right in the middle of it. Those moments used to kill me on the inside, but I have learned over the past 16 months that if Satan is feeling the need to throw in an interruption, it's because the person in front of us is elect and ready for the gospel. Sister Petramalo didn't blink an eye. We may have been a little wet, but Ben agreed to be baptized. Bring on the rain.

6. My bishop. What a gem! He came with us to teach a lesson with an investigating family who struggles keeping their commitment to come to church. He helped us teach a lesson about keeping the Sabbath Day Holy and it was incredible. I love that a man as busy as he is, finds the time to do missionary work with us. It makes all the difference in the world when members get involved.

7. Primary program Sacrament meetings. Church on Sundays is often either the BEST part of the week, or a complete let down. It is all dependent upon whether investigators show up. Yesterday was one of those Sundays where only 1 of our 6 committed to church investigators actually showed up. And even he had to go to the earlier ward meeting, not our own at 12:30. And yet, those primary kids made up for it completely. Sister P and I giggled at those darling children and felt their powerful spirit. I love primary songs. It definitely was one of those moments where I realized in the big scheme of things, this Sunday with 0 investigators by my side would quickly be forgotten. There's only so much we can do.

8. I LOVE YOUTH. Sister Petramalo and I gave a social media devotional on Sunday night to the Youth. By the end of it, they were taking all sorts of selfies and posting early for #theprophetspeaks on instagram, snapchat, and facebook. I love how quick they are to share their faith. Have y'all joined the event?? Take a simple selfie with your hand behind your ear and follow this link! https://www.facebook.com/events/356942914468462/

9. The Women's Broadcast. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I've found that I feel most at home on my mission while watching Conference. There's such a familiar, powerful spirit in those meetings, and I find so many answers to my questions and worries. I'm so excited for this coming weekend.

10. My darling companion. Sister Petramalo is a gem. I love nothing more than reuniting with her after sister training leader trade offs and power trade offs. It feels oh so good.

LOVE YOU ALL. LOVE THE GOSPEL. LOVE MY LIFE.

Sister Hutchins

Hutchamalo in Heavenly Florida

I've learned so many lessons on my mission, but today I learned the biggest lesson of all. I know this lesson is one that Heavenly Father has been trying to teach me for quite some time, but it's finally clicked and I'm so grateful. My goodness, missions are the best. Yesterday, Elder Golden, a member of the 70, spoke at our Mission Leadership Council. The Spirit was there, I took way too many notes, and Sister Petramalo and I left feeling really good about the world. BUT, what he taught didn't really sink in until Companionship studies (aka spiritual discussion hour...that spilled over into P-day). I'm not sure if this is going to make sense, but here it goes anyway.

 

It doesn't matter if we baptize 1000 souls. It doesn't matter if we get straight A's. It doesn't matter if we're the perfect mom. Those acts or accomplishments alone are NOT the point. All that matters, is that along the way as we strive for these things we become who we are meant to be: a disciple of Christ.

The gospel is simple, we just have to keep our ends and our means straight with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The things we are meant to do (visit teach, magnify our calling, graduate college, get a good job) are the means to become the end....CHRISTLIKE. In the process of striving for that "thing" we are meant to become like Him. Heavenly Father doesn't define us by being the best teacher, or the best scriptorian, or the best baptizer, but becoming like Christ. At the last day, He's not going to total up my grades, my tithing, my church attendance, my acts of service. All of it is going to fall away and I alone will stand. He and I will clearly be able to see if I became that person, if I became that disciple. The end is who you become....the means is all the things He asks us to do....because those things will help us BECOME disciples. That's why He called me on a mission... because this process is helping me to become a disciple.

 

My mission is priceless because of the precious lessons I'm learning that are becoming a part of me. Sister Petramalo was laughing as we ended companionship studies saying, "So this is what a perfect day feels like." Amen to that. 

No we didn't have a bowl, so we used a bunt cake pan. Yes, I'm wearing
my hideous luau mumu. Hutchamalo for life.

 

 

Snapshots of the Week:

1. I love when missionaries pray together. There is nothing more powerful. Hopefully this isn't too sacrilegious, but at MLC when the leaders of the mission all get on their knees together to pray about the transfer baptismal goal, I love to open my eyes for just a moment during that prayer. I love that image...38 faithful young men and women on their knees humbling pleading with Heavenly Father to be able to do His will. Priceless moment once again. Where else can you experience something like that?

2. I looked down this week to notice my skirt was almost too fuzzy to be able to wear, my sweater had a hole in the elbow from a dog a few months ago, my shoes were no longer the color they used to be, and my purse was beginning to look a little extra sad. I'm officially as a seasoned missionary and I love that feeling. (Though I do have to say, I'm ready to burn every piece of clothing I've worn on my mission. Burn party in December family? Woot woot.)

3. Sister Petramalo had some ear issues this week. We had to get to a doctor and have them irrigated and all sorts of NOT fun stuff. BUT along the way, she got a blessing. I love this visual forever emblazoned on my mind. There is a faithful Filipino family that we asked to help us that night. The mother wasn't home, so we sat in their organized garage on tool benches as this powerful father and son gave my darling companion a blessing. Afterward, the wise father talked about his love for the gospel and specifically the Priesthood. We walked away with two bags of groceries stuffed into our hands, that powerful spirit in our hearts, and a healed ear too.

4. There's an 83 year old woman named Bonnie that we are currently teaching recent convert lessons to each week. This week, she shook her head at our attempts to tell her we had eaten dinner and walked us over to the Burger King she loves right next door to her apartment. Though we really had eaten dinner, and we really did feel nauseous by eating a second dinner 20 minutes after our first one, there was something powerful about seeing the joy that one feels as they serve someone else. Bonnie LOVED treating us. We got to laugh at some of her hysterically sassy "husband #3" stories, and again it was a perfect moment. I LOVE people. I'm telling you, the people in Florida are GEMS.

5. My companion and I officially refer to ourselves as Hutchamalo...it's doesn't flow all that well I'll be the first to admit, but it's quite fun. Yesterday after planning we sprawled across our much too tiny couch and laughed straight up to when we had to jump up and brush our teeth to get in bed on time. I love when companionships "jive" as Sister Petramalo says. It's the best.

 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. No surprise there. FLORIDA IS HEAVEN.

 

Sister Hutchins

Praise to the Man

Yes, no joke...That is Sister Petramalo's catch phrase of choice...and I'm stuck saying it now too. It's pretty catchy. If we are a little sacrilegious - don't tell President.

First order of business...(drum roll please)....I'M STAYING IN MANDARIN FIRST WARD WITH SISTER PETRAMALO. Hallelujah! I don't often pray about transfers, but oh my goodness, I was praying to be able to stay one more transfer here. I've never stayed anywhere for longer than 3 transfers, so I was afraid my time was up. But Sister P and I just kept saying we felt like our work wasn't done together. Thank goodness we were right. I can't wait. I don't think I've ever felt so excited about a transfer in my mission life. We were at President's house yesterday and I walked into his office with the transfer board and he just laughed watching my face as I frantically searched for my picture. He grabbed my should and said, "Don't worry-you get to stay." By the time the transfer calls came around later than night, I just got to sit back and listen happily knowing ahead of the other sisters around me. (There really are quite a few perks about my calling haha).

Anyway, this week was a week of epiphanies/revelatory moments/lessons learned. Y'all ready?

1. After a trade-off in Brunswick, we felt strongly about going on another little trade off with a set of sisters in Lake City (300 mile round trip). As I sat talking for over an hour with a sister I have grown to love more than I can really express, she asked me how I had come to love all these sisters, even the ones who may not seem like they are giving their 100%. I sat back for a second, and realized that as I've served alongside many of the sisters in the mission on trade offs, I've begun to understand them, their stories, their sacrifices, their struggles, their quirks. And as I've done so, I've become much less judgmental and much more amazed by their service (no matter how big or small). I'm finally learning how the Atonement works in everyone's lives and it feels oh so good to be at this point. None of us were meant to be perfect.

2. All growing up, my parents would sit our family down on Sunday afternoon and my dad would ask us when we felt the Spirit that day in church. I remember always being a little nervous for this question and quickly having to think back to church for a lesson I remembered. As the years went on, it wasn't as hard as it once was. This past Sunday, we sat a family down after our lovely lunch with them and did the same activity. As I bore my testimony of the Spirit, I realized how much this simple question everySunday had helped me learn to recognize the Spirit. I'm oh so grateful for my faithful parents. Can't wait to carry on the tradition. Well, pause-I can definitely wait for a bit.

3. A family we found on the best street in our area asked us how they could be baptized. It came at a moment where I was wondering if any of our work was going to yield results. I'm finding that faith is all about continuing to press forward in the hard times. It's these times on my mission that are helping me increase my faith the most. I'm still doing happy dances. It's currently just the mother and 16 year old daughter, but just you wait, the dad will come along too. We're determined =)

4. After some quality conversations with my darling companion (seriously I'm the most blessed sister in the mission to serve with her another transfer) and a powerful study this morning, I've been learning SO much about how important the people closest to us are. I keep getting distracted by facebook, trade offs, our members, finding the elect, memorizing scriptures, and on and on. But if we forget to focus in on our companion (family, spouse, whoever is closest in life who we tend to take for granted) we're doing it wrong. There are a lot of good things in the world to do, but the most important people we can serve and love and spend time with are the very people right beside us. I seriously love having companions. It's like God has been hand-delivering me my best friends for the rest of eternity. I heart our Hutchamalo jive.

5. King Benjamin might just be my favorite person in the entire Book of Mormon. He is the epitome of selfless. I aspire to be like him. I could read the Book of Mormon all day.

Nothing of great importance, so if you're bored out of your mind...go ahead and stop reading. I always did with other missionaries - haha. 

1.Funny story (nothing revelatory here haha): The mission office called me and asked if I was an American citizen. I sat there dumbfounded for a moment, when they explained that as they were purchasing my flight home, the airlines rejected their request because they researched me and declared me an Israeli. Lesson learned: don't go to Israel on a study abroad haha. No worries fam, they figured it out. I'm coming home.

2. Scary Story: I walked back into our bedroom after praying one night this week and went to pull back my covers, Sister Petramalo was laying in my bed, grabbed me, and scared me out of my mind. And to make it even funnier, she recorded the whole thing. We've been cracking up about it ever since. Don't worry-I already got her back.

3. After the Saturday session of stake conference, we went out to dinner with some of my favorite people in the world. The Matthews and the Matzkes. You know those completely perfect moments...we had one of them as we worked in a lesson all about how the gospel applies to the fish we were eating in the midst of quite a few hysterical laughing fits. I'm so grateful for faithful ward members that become our family out here. Florida really has become home.  

LONGEST EMAIL EVER. But really, can ya judge me? I'm a missionary (aka best calling in the world) and I only have so many left of these to write. I've got to appreciate them while I can! LOVE YOU ALL.

Sister Hutchins

P.S. We have a new facebook event called The Prophet Speaks!!! All about spreading the awareness to the world that there is a prophet on the earth today! OH HAPPY DAY. Post a selfie with your hand behind your ear, use the hashtag #theprophetspeaks, and invite others to listen to the prophet too! I seriously am a facebook junkie at this point. I'm in love with sharing the gospel over social media. Our bishop asked us to do a Youth social media fireside. CAN'T WAIT. 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/356942914468462/

"We've got to pray just to make it today!"

Darling Familia, 

Usually I have a little bit more steam in me when it comes to emailing time, but after the emotional roller coaster that was signing onto BYU.edu or the first time and scrolling through classes, I don't have much left in me. Especially with trade offs starting in a few hours, goodness haha. Say hello to the wave of sleepiness overcoming me. If none of this makes sense, I wouldn't be surprised.

I've found on the many trade offs with sisters that I've gone on, every single one (NO JOKE) has ended with us discussing prayer. Every problem, concern, fear, question has taken us to a serious study and conversation about prayer (Check out Richard G. Scott's Supernal Gift of Prayer talk). As I listen to these dear sisters telling me their heart, I've realized I don't know all the answers...not even close. And even when I do, telling a sister an answer on one 24 hour trade off, only provides her with temporary relief. Helping her develop that relationship with Heavenly Father will provide her with eternal relief. That concept of giving someone a fish, instead of teaching them how to fish applies all too well. I used to go into trade offs trying my best to find a different answer other than prayer because I felt like it was my crutch, or go-to answer. Now, I pray for more opportunities to bring up prayer with these darling, faithful sisters. 

Just this week on a trade off, I laid down after vocally praying in the other room, to hear the sweet sister next to me sniffling. I had this internal debate for two minutes in my head about whether I should let her sleep it off til morning or ask her what was going on. Of course, my curious self won out. She told me how during her personal prayer, she'd found her answer to becoming more of the woman she needed to be by the end of her mission and do you want to know what it was? PRAYER. I had to hold in a giggle as she spoke. Christ saying to his disciples, "Pray on" rings through my mind day in and day out now.

A few nights later, I was praying before going to sleep for quite some time. Mandarin has become a sacred place. I've had to grow so much here, and because of the hard times, I fallen all the more in love with it. One of the struggles has been recognizing the fruits of all my labors.  I was reminded of a dream I'd had a month prior that never made sense. (Long story short about the dream-Thomas S. Monson had been explaining to me that it was well worth all the work that it was taking to get to the one person he needed to give a blessing to.)  I finally looked at it with spiritual eyes, and instant peace filled my heart. Even if my time here in Mandarin was solely for Shay, or solely for me to grow myself and learn crucial life lessons, that was more than enough. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God...And if it so be that you should labor all of your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy." 

Often sisters ask me what I've learned most of my mission. I can honestly say, I'm finally learning the importance of prayer. The best part of my day is when I kneel down at night. That relationship with my Heavenly Father has become more real to me than I can even describe. Prayer is one of the most precious gifts we've been given from our Father in Heaven. And as I do on every trade off, I'm going to extend a similar invitation to y'all. Find one aspect of your prayer that needs to change and starting today, CHANGE it. It could be that you need to switch the position you pray in so you can stay awake longer. Or perhaps you want to try vocally praying every night to make that communication more real. Maybe you could try focusing more on the words you use when addressing Heavenly Father, or really slowing down when you say "in the name of Jesus Christ" to process really how crucial the role of our Savior is. All in all, I LOVE PRAYER. I love it, I love it, I love it. And I love y'all too. Have a marvelous day! 

Sister Hutchins

p.s. Family flashback moment of the day: "We've got to pray just to make it today!"

Pure Perfection

More Aligator :)

Darling family and friends,

I just want to record some moments of pure perfection again for you this week.

1. Sister Petramalo and I are in the midst of a whole lot of FINDING
right now. On Friday night we went out in a neighborhood talking with everyone, and while walking up to a door I realized how much I love finding. I asked Sister Petramalo is she thought any of my friends back home would hang out with me on a Friday night and go out tracting. She laughed her head off. Dork alert-party of 2. She said she'd come with me.

2. During ward council Sunday morning, the combined 5th Sunday, 3rd hour lesson fell through. I found myself volunteering my companion and I to teach hahaha. Yep, our bishop looked a little surprised and accepted the offer. What he didn't know, is that we had a perfectly prepared social media member missionary work lesson from our training at Mission Leadership Council this past week. Not only did we have videos to show, we had a power point. Just a few days ago we had been praying about how to get our ward more excited about social media - God answers prayers. That is for sure. It couldn't have been more divinely orchestrated. I love teaching members about how to share the gospel. Shoot, I just love teaching with the Spirit on any topic.

3. I don't know if God is trying to tell me something or not, but all
we find here in Mandarin is engineers. Fred, John, George...I mean
come on! Haha. I have never had to look at the gospel so logically in
my life. And yet, there was this powerful moment teaching George, when
I knew exactly the questions with the right wording (so he couldn't
pick a whole through my argument) and for once....he listened and
processed and maybe even FELT something regardless of how illogical
feelings may be. The Spirit was almost tangible in the room. And
though George isn't ready for the gospel now, I know Heavenly Father
has a perfect plan for him in the years to come.

4. Ryan, a less active with earrings and tattoos, came to church and
sang with us yesterday!! Hallelujah. And after saying he would only do
this just ONCE last week, he quickly changed his tune after sacrament
yesterday to planning our next musical number in church. God is oh so
good.

5. While reading my scriptures this week in Alma 34:8-10, I found
myself processing how little of this work is the missionaries' and how
much it is our Savior. He is leading, guiding, and orchestrating every
single one of these miracle filled days. How grateful I am for the
Atonement and that though I am imperfect and my missionary work could
use a whole lot of help, He continues to forgive me and enable me to
do His work.

6. A woman I've been trying to teach in Tonga could never give me her address because she lives in a remote village. I kept asking her if she knew Mormons and she said she'd seen missionaries a few times out
on the streets. This week she saw some and stopped them!! She finally was given a Book of Mormon and is reading it. I LOVE SOCIAL MEDIA.

Love you all!!!!
Sister Hutchins

the quartet

Holy Hotness!

So grateful for all the support and love especially in #ifollowhim.